The Longest night

冬至 [15] / [16]

He went outside, searching for a cigarette in his pocket, but he was out. He bought a pack of Black & Milds in a nearby convenience store, and spotted a small coffee shop. He went inside and ordered himself a cream cheese bagel and black coffee. He wasn’t particularly hungry, but he knew he needed to eat. He also needed some time to give his brain a rest.

It didn’t take long for the food he ordered to come. He mechanically drank coffee and ate the bagel. Somebody sat in front of him.

“You!”

He looked up and saw her face. It was the saleswoman from the jewelry shop where he bought the presents for Kiara and Violet.

“Fancy seeing you here! How are you?”

She asked him briskly. Alexander was surprised, but the abrupt encounter with her didn’t make him uncomfortable at all.

“Everything is going well, thanks. How’s your business at the store?”

He lied, struggling to retain a light tone.

'Everything is going well, huh?'

He thought he heard a voice snorting from somewhere inside of him.

“Same, everything goes well. It’s funny, isn’t it? I come here often for lunch. How did the gift-giving go? Did you give them their presents?”

She asked.

“I did,” he lied again, because he felt if he said no, he would have to explain the reason. At that moment, he found out that she was wearing a name tag.

“Alexander Gresham.”

He stretched his hand to her.

“Sarah Gordon.”

She stretched out her hand as well, grasping his in hers. He smiled. She was warm and her perfume smelled of peaches and summer flowers. How had he failed to notice this before? The scent was enticing and made him feel slightly lightheaded, yet not in an altogether unpleasant way.

“Do you like to drink, Sarah?”

He asked her rather abruptly. Usually he wasn’t used to asking women light-hearted questions or engaging in small talk, which he was not good at. But with the turbulence of these past few days, which put him in a reckless mood, he wasn’t quite in his right mind. Therefore he asked the question like throwing a random stone into a pond, but in a way that made it clear he recognized she was fond of him and that the feeling was mutual.

“Drinks, yeah, for sure. I have many drinks at my house. What about you?”

She asked, “Do you like to drink too?”

He smirked at her, answering.

“Anything that lets me lose a few hours with you. How about we meet up some night?”